


All Her Sons Ascended to the Throne

by smilingsarah10



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Greek Mythology AU, Kind of a mystery, M/M, Mentions of Sexual Acts, Mentions of past rape/noncon (nongraphic and in passing), Soulmates AU, but if you know anything about greek mythology not really, gender is all over the place here, kind of, mentions of violence (nongraphic)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-01-15 16:55:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18503137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smilingsarah10/pseuds/smilingsarah10
Summary: Ryan finds himself immersed in a world of mythology with only part of his patron deity's memories intact. Will he finally realize who he is and what he has seen, or will he be too late to save his true love and perhaps the entire Greek pantheon?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Rainbow Kitten Surprise's "Holy War".
> 
> Hey friends! So this is a one shot that really got away from me. I am going to post the first three chapters today, then the next ones on Monday and Friday until it is done. 
> 
> This idea is inspired by greek mythology. If you know anything about greek mythology, you know that there are some sketchy motherfuckers. There will be a big fight (not between Ryan and Shane) at the end of the fic, and mentions in passing of rape/noncon (again, not between Ryan and Shane, but from greek cannon that happened to Ryan's deity.) It won't be explicit, more the emotions around it. I will post about it before the chapter that it's in so that it doesn't catch anyone by surprise, but I just wanted to make sure that you knew it would be mentioned so you can avoid it if it's gonna be a spot of pain.
> 
> I thrive on a healthy diet of comments, so please let me know what you think!
> 
> XOXO Sarah

_There was a scream from inside the golden cage too high up in the darkness of Ryan’s dream to properly identify who the voice belongs to. His heart leapt in his chest, willing him to run to the voice, grow a vine, fly if he could. His love was in danger! His love was…_

_The darkness melted into a bed, still dark, illuminated by what looked like twilight seeping through the curtains. A soft breeze blew the snores of the person beside him towards his ears, and although he realized he couldn’t move under the weight of their body pressed against his, he was content._

_The bed shifted into a field out in the sun. The warmth magnified from his space under the covers to the pounding rays of the sun, unfamiliar, yet welcoming on his skin. He opened his hand in front of his face, realizing that he had been holding some small red seeds. Were those pomegranates?_

Brent shook Ryan awake as the car rolled to a stop. “Hey man, we are here. You ready to eat your words about ghosts?”

Ryan shook off the weird dreams. He shot Brent a grin, “Nah, you’re gonna be the one eating your words. When I researched this place, one site literally said it was the only entrance to the underworld on this side of the country.”

“Real original since it is literally a cave,” Brent shot back. Ryan had only just gotten the show approved for production, but he knew that he and Brent could make a supernatural show unlike any, and BuzzFeed thrived on that sort of thing. Brent, a skeptic, and Ryan, sure from years of weird dreams and experiences that there was something else out there. It was golden. And this was the start of the video that would finally let him make it big.

“Alright, who’s going in first?” Brent asked as he set up the camera to do the intro sequence. Ryan cringed. He knew that tone, and he knew it meant… “How about you? Show me how brave you are Bergara.”

“Sure! Fine! I’m excited, not scared, anyways,” Ryan could tell he was about to start rambling, but Brent cut him off. 

“Shoo then. You’ve got your go-pro and mic. See you in… 10 minutes?” He smirked as Ryan peeked into the cave. It was wide enough to stand and see and walk. Not the entrance to the underground that he was expecting. He pocketed a flashlight to make sure that he would have light when he turned the corner he could just see at the end of the tunnel. Brent nodded to acknowledge his wave, and Ryan was off. 

Ryan only got as far as out of Brent’s sight line when he started talking. “Nobody here but me; just minding my business, walking to the back of this cave. It’s not even sloping downwards. Entrance to the underworld my ass…” he continued to ramble, ears straining to hear anything over his monologuing. 

After he was past the point where he had told himself he should probably turn around at least three times, Ryan saw a soft glow coming from around the next bend. When he quieted himself, he could hear what sounded like water lapping up on the edge of a lake; not the same power as the ocean, but softer, as if disturbed by a boat. Ryan made sure his camera was still rolling and crept his way down the corridor. 

The soft glow never got any brighter, but lit up the cavern well enough for Ryan to see a large, illuminated river running through the middle of the path that he had been following. The other side was too dark to see, but as Ryan approached the banks of the river, he could swear that he could hear whispering from the other shore. 

As if in a trance, he let the whispers pull him off the shore. He waded halfway through the water before he realized that his pants legs didn’t feel wet, and that he was still just walking. He stopped to look down at what was going on when he felt a hand tugging him forward. He felt his heart drop down into his stomach and he fought to hold onto his breakfast as he realized that the “hand” was a ghostly apparition, one of many that were pulling him not to the other shore, but down further within their midst. 

When the spirits realized that Ryan was aware of what was happening, they began shrieking and trying to pile onto him to weigh him down. Ryan tried to breath, to run, to _move_ at all but every gasping breath he took felt as if he was breathing in smoke. As he finally gathered the strength to leap towards the other shore, he felt as if he was hauled the last few feet by something real, material and physical. Ryan let out one sputtering breath before he passed out on the far shore. 


	2. Chapter 2

_There’s a voice calling to him from the darkness. Even as the tone modulates to sound like a different person each time, Ryan knows it’s the same being. Sometimes feminine, sometimes masculine, sometimes too androgynous to tell, the voice is always soft and bright. “Wake up, love. You’re needed. It’s time. Don’t you want to remember?”_

_The vision shifted from a soft, bright, blackness to the thundering sound of horses pulling a chariot. Ryan would have wondered with what certainty he knew it was a chariot, but chalked it up to dream logic. As if his thoughts were not private, the voice from before let out a tinkling laugh._

_“Dreams. Memories. Ghosts. What’s the difference really?” the voice laughed as Ryan was sucked back out of the blackness into the world of the living and awake._

Ryan almost ripped the thin material he was wrapped in when he awoke with a gasp. His hands trembled as he felt the satin material both above and below him. Blankets. Sheets. Pillows. He was in a bed. His heart rate slowed down as his body kicked back into gear with some deep heaving breaths. Had he not been breathing? Was it just remnicient from the dream? The river was a dream, right?

Shaking the questions from his brain and deciding to trust his gut that the river had been real, Ryan let himself look over the bed and the room he was currently occupying. The bed itself had to have been a california king with the softest grey bed set Ryan had ever felt. Except, instead of marveling at the texture, he was feeling… nostalgia? Deja vu? Ryan was wracking his brain to figure out where he had felt these before. Why was he calming down instead of panicking about whose bed he was occupying? Why was it so dark in the room?

Realizing that he wouldn’t get any answers from his racing thoughts alone, Ryan rolled to the edge of the bed. He realized with a blush that he was not in his ghost hunting clothes. His electronics are also conspicuously missing, meaning that whoever had saved him must not have wanted evidence of it, and that they had also tucked Ryan into bed wearing only silk boxer briefs and a robe. Ryan slid on the slippers that matched and hurried over to the window to try to tell how long he had been asleep. 

The window looked out on a courtyard with an elaborate garden that looked like it hadn’t been touched in a few years. There was a statue of a hulking man dancing with a petite woman in the center that was overgrown with vines. The woman was smirking while the man’s face looked elated to be dancing with her. Ryan wished it was a little brighter out so that he could see why he found the pair so compelling to look at. Something in his heart was compelling him not only to keep looking at the garden, but to make his way outside for a closer look. 

Normally, Ryan was overly cautious about his impulsive ideas. They always seemed to be leading him into dark places. Here, however, he decided to indulge. The whole place was a dark space, and he still had to find whoever saved him to get his stuff back. Might as well get a two for one by following his heart and his intuition. 

Outside of the room, Ryan realized that the whole place was lit by the colors of twilight. Even the indoor lights are purples, blues, and pinks, and none lit further than the end of a corridor before more had to take their place. As Ryan walked down the hallways, trusting his feet to know where to go, he felt as if there was something following him. However, when he flipped around to check each time, there was only an orange flame in a wall sconce, only out of the ordinary because of its color. 

Finally, Ryan’s feet lead him through an archway into what appeared to be a very old kitchen. The windows covering a full wall of the kitchen looked out into the garden that Ryan could see from his room, and Ryan’s heart leapt when he saw the door propped open. As he was making his way to the door, his vision shifted and locked onto a bowl of what looked like pomegranate seeds sitting on the counter. Ryan felt a little out of control as his hand slowly reached towards the bowl. He couldn’t stop himself; he so badly all of the sudden needed to eat a handful of the sparkling red fruit…

Out of his peripheral vision, Ryan saw a flash of orange from the closest wall sconce, and all of the sudden there was a large orange cat letting out a soft mewl and batting his hand away from the bowl. Ryan jerked his hand back, scared of his own inaction and weirdly grateful to the cat for stopping him from getting into the fruit. Ryan pet the cat behind its ears and under its chin. “Aren’t you a cutie,” he cooed as the cat purred. Ryan was having a hard time telling if the cat was a tabby or a calico as its pattern seemed to be shifting the longer Ryan tried to look at him. 

Before he could really think about why that might be, a soft voice scolded from the doorway, “Obi, you know better than to be on the counters. Shoo. Leave our guest alone.”

Ryan turned around to see the owner of the voice and was surprised by a few things in succession. The first of these things was the height of the man who spoke compared to what Ryan was expecting from his voice. The second was the sight of the apron that the man was wearing and the abundance of pomegranates that he was carrying within it. The third was how young the man seemed compared to the house that Ryan had self toured. 

“Hello there. Good to see you up and moving. I was a little worried when I found you in the river,” the man said, not unkindly, but with a teasing lilt to his voice. He walked around Ryan, sitting the pomegranates on the counter and pushing the bowl of peeled fruit away from Ryan’s reach. “I’d offer you something to drink, but I wouldn’t want to keep you long.” 

“Actually, I have a few questions…” Ryan tried to interject, but the man was moving away from him towards a box in the corner of the room. 

“I’m sure you do, but I can’t answer them for you,” Ryan’s eyebrows crinkled in confusion at the man’s words as the man ran a hand through his fluffy, dirty blonde hair, “After all, don’t you have somewhere you’re supposed to be?”

Ryan was about to protest that he didn’t have any of his stuff to go back, but in the same breath looked down and noticed that he was back in his clothes with his go-pro strapped to his chest. “How did you…?” 

The man’s smile turned sad as he turned away from Ryan. “Don’t think too much about it. There’s a reason I don’t get many visitors.” 

Ryan could feel his eyes getting heavy. Obi, the cat or flame or whatever it was pushed one of the pomegranates off the counter into Ryan’s bookbag while the man was turned around to the ice chest in the corner, before giving Ryan a significant look and rubbing against his legs. Ryan sat down on the floor, slipping the backpack securely over his shoulders as his eyes slipped closed. He couldn’t tell if he was imaging the arms wrapping around him and the same soft voice whispering, “Let’s get you home.” 


	3. Chapter 3

_Ryan dreamt of soft greys surrounding him, clouds or sheets or a combination of the two supporting him in the abyss. He looked down and saw that his body was shifting between a thousand variations of masculine and feminine frames before settling into his familiar one. He could feel arms wrapped around him, cuddling against his back. The arms shifted in the same way that his body did until they settled onto arms that he had only seen holding up an apron coming in from their garden…_

_Just as Ryan thought he was understanding, the dream shifted to him seated on a throne. He could feel his tiara digging into the sides of his forehead, and raised a manicured hand to adjust it to avoid getting a headache. Next to him, an unfamiliar man with light that touches his eyes asked, concerned, if he’s having another headache. Ryan smiles, idly cautious not to let her lips touch her teeth so that the rouge wouldn’t smear and assured her husband that she’s fine. ‘She? Her?’ Ryan wondered to himself as the scene shifts again._

_Ryan was waltzing with a tall woman who looked surprisingly familiar, sandy blonde hair in ringlets around her shoulder. ‘Why do I feel like I know you?’ Ryan asked his dance partner. She smirked and leaned down to kiss his forehead. ‘We are married, love. Are you that weary of my brother’s party that you can’t even remember your beloved?’ Ryan felt silly. Of course he remembered his partner. You can only marry the god of the underworld so many times… Realization was only a breath away from Ryan as he was ejected from the dream._

Brent had been just as thrilled to find Ryan sitting on his ass in an unfamiliar bend of the cave as Ryan had been to be found sitting in an unfamiliar bend of the cave. He had been even less pleased when Ryan had tried to find the footage or ghost river to prove to Brent that he wasn’t losing his mind in fear only to find neither. Ryan didn’t like doubting his own sanity, but the evidence was stacked against him. He tried to chalk up the whole experience as another weird dream. 

They finished the shoot, banter there but only barely, and when Brent dropped Ryan off at home, his replies had revealed how concerned he was for Ryan’s mental health. “I know you want this to go well, man, but if it’s going to be this stressful for you, maybe we should take it a little slower.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll rest up and see you on Monday, dude.” Ryan shut the door, and tapped the top of Brent’s car to let him know it was safe to pull away. When he got into his apartment, he went to pull out his gear to get started on editing when he noticed something red at the bottom of his bag. After a reach and a hard blink, Ryan realized that he was holding a pomegranate. And the only way he could have been holding that particular fruit was if he had been right to trust himself. 

Ryan shook his head. He was tired of doubting himself. He was tired of headaches and weird dreams and half memories. He absentmindedly moved to his kitchen and opened the pomegranate, his hands moving with muscle memory that he shouldn’t have had for all the times he could remember preparing one on his own. After getting them in a bowl and plopping down in front of his computer, he decided that he could research this as if he was researching one of the other conspiracies he was so into.

He started with what he remembered of the river, then moved through his experience, and finally into some of the dreams he had been having. Each query led him to different pages with the same theme: various mythologies around Hades and Persephone. Some things didn’t make sense: the young appearance of who Ryan assumed was Hades, him not being a female, and the fact that this was all myth. Ryan almost closed out of his computer in frustration until he stumbled upon a forum thread about Greek reincarnation. 

There were multiple interesting theories that people were presenting, but the one that caught Ryan’s attention was the idea that instead of the same deity reincarnating as themself, the _idea_ of the deity would grow with a person to maturity and then present itself as powers. Then the deity would coexist with the person until the person was killed and had to find a new post. Ryan couldn’t find any sources, and the thread quickly spiraled into a discussion about Venom being a corrupt demi-god, so Ryan closed out of the tab to come up with a plan.

It was still pretty early in the day, and he had nothing better to do, so he bagged up his pomegranate and tossed it in his bag along with his flashlight, a bottle of water, and some snacks, and headed back the way Brent and he had come before. Ryan felt silly, but he had started to wonder if maybe the river (the river Styx? The Lethe? Ryan couldn’t be sure) just couldn’t be seen because Brent was with him. Brent had never complained of weird dreams or visions. Maybe, Ryan was something that Brent just wasn’t. He figured the only way to be sure was to go back. Which was how he found himself wandering back into the cave for the second time that day.

Ryan wandered, timing himself between desires to turn back to get a more accurate measurement for how long he would need to walk to get to the river. Lo and behold, just after the third, Ryan could see the same faint glow that he had seen before. He was prepared to face the river when he rounded the corner; he was not prepared for there to be someone on the shore with a boat. The figure whipped around towards Ryan and then froze as if to see if Ryan would just go away.

“Um, hi!” Ryan started to introduce himself, “My name is Ryan, and I was wondering…” 

The figure jumped in his boat whispering, “What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck they’ve never been able to _see_ me before much less talk to me… I do not get paid enough for this…” 

Ryan approached the dork in the boat with an eye roll. “Since we’ve established that you are visible and that I can totally hear every word that you’re saying, can I finish introducing myself?” 

The man spun in his boat to face Ryan, glaring at him from under a darkened hood. “Well, no, actually. Since you aren’t dead, I am not allowed to talk to you. My boss would have my head.”

“You’re kind of already talking to me…” Ryan tried to argue. The man in the boat tilted his head to acknowledge that Ryan had a point before doing a double take as if he was just seeing Ryan fully. 

“Fuck. What the fuck. Shit. Gods damn it,” he muttered, jumping back on the shore and bowing towards Ryan. “My apologies your highness. Do you have your pass with you?”

Ryan felt like he had whiplash from the way he boatman acted, but decided to roll with it. “Nah, left it at home unfortunately. I have, uh,” Ryan reached into his bag and pulled out the seeds, “Some of these though. If that’ll do.” 

“You know I love treats from your garden ma’am. Or do you want to go by ‘sir’ this time around?” he said, noticing that Ryan was… well… Ryan, and not whoever he had seen that made him have a change of attitude.

Ryan poured some of the seeds into his outstretched hand. “Sir, if you must, but you can just call me Ryan. Remind me of your name?”

The man helped Ryan into the boat. “My name is Charon. You realize that you haven’t fully awakened yet, right?”

“Pardon?” Ryan tried to ask for clarification, but before he could get out more than a word, the world was moving to fast for him to stay on his feet in the boat. He sat down hard, watching the cavern explode into colors around them as they shot down the river. Ryan’s head was still spinning as Charon helped him exit the boat. 

“Keep this with you,” he said, attaching a small coin purse to Ryan’s belt loop, “It’s your toll bag for the ferry. No more free rides until you realize who you are.”

Before Ryan could ask anymore questions, the boat was gone and Ryan was left on the foreign shore alone. Well, almost alone. He jumped as what felt like a tongue the size of his head licked the side of his face, and he was blasted with what could only be described as dog’s breath. Ryan pulled a towel out of his backpack, drying off his face before fully turning to see the largest three headed dog he had ever seen. Which solidified Ryan’s certainty that he was currently living into a greco roman myth. “Cerberus?” he said uncertainly, reaching out to let the muzzle nearest him sniff his knuckles. 

The giant dog had to have sat at 6 feet tall while sitting. Had it not immediately flopped onto it’s back to beg for belly scratches, Ryan would have been extremely intimidated. “Oh, _such_ a good boy. Who wants to lead me to the palace? You do? You do!” Ryan petted then followed the giant dog through wrought iron gates and into a maze-like courtyard. Ryan did his best to map each turn in his head for later to either find his way out of back in to the palace. When they finally reached the steps, Ryan reached into a conveniently large crock sitting beside the steps marked, “TREATS,” and tossed one to each head. 

Ryan briefly worried about the doors being locked, but one push sent the deceptively light for its size door flying open. Ryan remembered Hades saying that he didn’t get many visitors, and supposed that was why the door was just open for anyone to enter. He was more careful when he closed it, and took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the dimmer inner lighting. The outside was still cast in twilight, but Ryan realized that his eyes had adjusted automatically as if he had done this a million times before. 

He pushed that thought to the back of his mind, taking in the museum-like qualities of the foyer. There were glass cases full of art and different collectibles scattered about in immaculately arranged displays that were contrasted by the piles of articles on the floor that looked almost as if they were being processed to find a home in the cases someday. There were book in a million languages all around from floor to ceiling, tucked onto shelves and stairs and under table legs. 

Ryan passed by three separate libraries before a large boom and screaming from the next library over grabbed his attention. He knew the voice of that scream. He found himself running in before he could even think through the decision. 

The man from the kitchen was trapped under a large bookshelf that had been toppled by what looked like one of the spirits from the river except much much larger. Ryan quickly followed the spirit from it’s face with no features to its origin point: a large open book on a small table beside the toppled shelf. Ryan wished for a moment that he could just close the book, and watched, amazed, as a strong breeze blew the cover shut, sucking the spirit back between the pages. Before Ryan could marvel at his potential new power, a groan from under the shelf reminded him of his main concern. 

Ryan lifted the bookshelf back upright. It was heavy, but he was strong (and maybe trying to show off a little bit). He pushed books off of the man he had only seen once before (unless you counted his dreams as of late), and started to look him over for injuries. The man in question blinked hard twice, rubbing his eyes and staring at Ryan. “I must have hit my head hard if I’m hallucinating this vividly,” he muttered to himself. 

“Nah, big guy. I’m here in the flesh just in time to save you it seems like. Guess now we are even,” Ryan tried to joke, but the frown on the mans face made his laughter die in his throat. 

“Why the hell did you come back here? Do you know how much danger you’re in?” He tried to argue, struggling to stand up, which took away the sting from his statement. 

Ryan rolled his eyes, carefully hauling the guy to his feet. “You’re lucky you’re cute, or I’d deck you for being so rude and cryptic all the time.”

“Two meetings hardly seems like ‘all the time’,” the man mumbled, dusting himself off before pulling a vial of golden liquid out of his breast pocket and downing it. “However, I do suppose a thank you is in order. So thank you kindly…?” 

“Ryan,” Ryan shook Shane’s outstretched hand and tried to think only pure thoughts about it’s weight and the way his fingers wrapped around Ryan’s whole hand almost. “And what can I call you?” 

“Shane will do, if you’re going to insist on showing up unannounced to sweep me back onto my feet,” Ryan chuckled at the half smile that was creeping up behind the tone of Shane’s words. “So, Ryan, what brings you to the underworld for the second time in a week?”

“A week?” Ryan asked incredulously, “It’s only been a few hours…”

“Time flows differently in the land of the dead. We have no use for it here. Charon can manipulate it a bit to better match the mortal plane, but we usually don’t tamper with it,” Shane explained as if that was the most normal thing in the world. Shane was walking them towards a large sitting room as he spoke. Ryan settled into one of the couches. He expected Shane to sit on any of the other four couches or chairs in the room only to have him settle close to him on the couch. Ryan blushed. “That’s such a beautiful color on your cheeks. Is my proximity uncomfortable?”

“NO!” Ryan realized he squeaked a second after the sound left his body and did his best to adjust his tone. “I mean, nah. I’m, um, comfortable. Do you sit this close to all of your guests?”

“No, but in the five years I’ve been here, you’re the first one that’s been in here that was alive or not employed by me or related to me, so I suppose I could be lying,” Shane tipped his head to consider. He snapped his finger and two glass tumblers appeared on the table filled with an amber liquid. “If you’re going to make this a habit, you might as well have a drink. Food and beverages you consume here will compel you to come back here, but it seems that you’re determined regardless.”

“Yeah, something else keeps compelling me here. This place feels so familiar. Even you feel weirdly familiar…” Ryan trailed off, not understanding why he was bearing his thoughts to an almost complete stranger. 

“I was afraid you were going to say that,” Shane took a sip of his brandy, watching as Ryan followed his lead. “How much do you know about mythology?”

“I’ve done some research,” Ryan felt a compulsion to lean into Shane’s side where his arm was laid across the back of the couch. The thought of how comfortable it would be and how familiar it would be seemed as second nature as following Shane’s example to take a sip. Ryan managed to ignore this one as Shane nodded his approval.

“Smart and pretty. Aren’t you just full of surprises,” Shane smiled. He looked a little like he was struggling against some base desires as well, covering them with sips of the liquid in his cup that seemed to never get any emptier. “Five years in underworld time ago, I felt called to a well on my family farm. As I was glancing in, something grabbed me, and I fell down further than should have been possible. When I popped out of a well here, I realized that I now had access to a whole host of memories I previously had not. Those memories belonged to the deity Hades, god of the underworld. But something happened on my fall, and some of my memories are fragmented. Zeus has been trying to help me sort out the pieces, but it is a long and painful process…”

Shane made eye contact with Ryan, a small shy smile on his face. “Well, you haven’t accused me of lying yet, so I am taking that as a good sign. Or good as in a ‘you believe me’ sign.”

Ryan found himself returning the smile before blurting out, “Well I think I might be Persephone, so…” 

Shane almost choked on a swallow of his drink. Ryan thumped him hard on the back, getting him to breathe again. “Like my wife, queen of the underworld, goddess of spring Persephone?” he finally countered, looking a little breathless. Ryan nodded, feeling shy and a little afraid of rejection.

Shane’s gaze turned from shock to a thoughtful appraisal. “You could be. The deities don’t conform to the same gender boundaries that society has tried to set. Although you ought to take a guy to dinner before you storm his house and reveal that you’re his wife, you know?” 

Ryan laughed outright at that, making the smile on Shane’s face grow. When he got a handle on himself, he sighed. “I haven’t had this huge revelation of memories or anything. Just some weird dreams and a desire to find my way here and stay here. I wish I could remember though…”

Shane gently took Ryan’s hand. A spark of recognition surged through them both, causing them to gasp, then laugh at how ridiculous the whole thing was. “Well, we can try for friends until you’re sure,” Shane said, letting his thumb stroke over Ryan’s knuckles in an arguably over friendly way. “And if you want, I could have you meet my ‘brothers’ at dinner this week. They’re both significantly older than me, and might know how to help you realize faster.”

Ryan felt a spike of panic at that. “What if I don’t realize who I am? Or if I’m not Persephone at all?” Something in Ryan bristled at the thought, but Ryan decided it was probably just another manifestation of his anxiety. 

“You wouldn’t be able to see or interact with any of the mythological world if you weren’t a part of it,” Shane reassured him, even as Ryan could see him grappling with another thought. Visibly resolving himself, Ryan felt as if time slowed down as Shane leaned a little more into his space. Ryan licked his lips, feeling joy rise up in his chest as Shane’s lips brushed against his. Ryan pushed up further into the kiss, feeling the butterflies of a first kiss alongside the resolution of a longing that felt older than himself. It was exactly what he needed. He told Shane as much. 

Ryan enjoyed climbing onto Shane’s lap and kissing him more. After what felt like hours, Ryan’s cheeks and lips red from love bites and beard burn, Shane gently removed him from his lap. “It’s getting late in your time. Here,” he snapped and what looked like an iPhone appeared in his hand. He handed it to Ryan. The only difference between an iPhone and it was the logo that was the cross section of a pomegranate instead of an apple. “It’s a PommePilot. It’s got my number in it and access to the Iris network. It will also show you the time here. That way we can talk, and you can know when I’m going to show up to get you for dinner.” 

Ryan said thank you verbally and then with his lips against Shane’s jaw, his neck, and right above the top button of his shirt. Shane groaned, stopping him from going any further. “Do you want to ride with Charon, or do you want me to just transport you and your car home?’

“Can you do that?” Ryan asked in awe. 

“That’s what kind of powers you get after five years of running the underworld, babey!” Shane joked, giving Ryan finger guns, “You will have to be asleep though.” 

Ryan agreed, then felt his eyes growing heavier. He considered that the rest would do him good, and snuggled into Shane’s lap, knowing he would get him home. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends! First set of warnings for this chapter: there's some predatory behavior and gore mentions in the italicized first portion. Scroll right on past that if you don't want to read it.

_There’s was a loud crash in the Library of Memories that shook Ryan from his sleep. The voice that narrated his dreams seemed to be panicking. “Please don’t show him this!” she gasped, and Ryan could feel her trying to change the dream in front of him._

_Some version of Hades entered the bedroom, but Ryan didn’t feel the comfort he normally felt. “Darling, what’s the matter?” the man asked, trying to convey concern, but the predatory gleam in his eye led Ryan to a crescendo of suspicion._

_Ryan tried to push the fraud away, but the man caught one of his delicate wrists, pulling him into the embrace regardless. “Are you having another night terror, angel? Where you can’t even recognize your husband?”_

_Before the dream could get any worse, it shifted to Ryan holding the real Hades as he clutched at his chest. “I couldn’t stop him… I’m sorry, my love, I’m sorry.” Blood and his spirit were leaking from his lips as he spoke. Ryan could feel tears streaming down his face._

_“Hush, my King. The wrong is not yours to claim. We will find vengeance in the next life,” Persephone reassured her dying husband. Ryan’s heart shattered when he heard the cruel laughter echo behind him._

_“Not if I have a say in it,” the cruel voice whispered and the memory failed, sputtering out of Ryan’s mind like the end of an old roll of film. Ryan was left in the blackness: panic, desolation, and heartbreak mingling with his genuine confusion._

Ryan woke up in his own bed in his own apartment, and for only a moment panicked again that he was just dreaming the last 24 hours. The realization that Shane had apparently tucked him into bed in the same pajamas he had in the underworld and left an old fashioned love note on top of the PommePilot and coin satchel on Ryan’s nightstand. Apparently, Shane was not going to be content unless he properly “courted” Ryan, if Ryan was reading the note correctly. Ryan imagined it had something to do with Hades’ influence, but didn’t mind the gestures nonetheless. 

Without getting out of bed, Ryan pulled both phones down on his lap. He had slept in a little, so it was late morning his time; however, in the underworld time had slowed down and it seemed to be the wee hours of the morning. Ryan wondered if Shane would be asleep. He pulled up what looked like the messenger app and sent Shane an Iris Message thanking him for the sweet note and asking what time he slept so that he wouldn’t disturb him. 

Shane’s response was immediate. He mentioned that he didn’t have to sleep unless he just really wanted to because it was the underworld, and that Ryan would have to try harder than that to be a disturbance. He sent a meme of some kind of human bull hybrid that he had labeled “you entering the underworld”. Ryan realized then that he had access to a whole new type of internet through this phone and had a lot of catching up to do before he could claim cultural literacy to understand underground memes. 

He started what he did best: finding the social media installed on the phone and scanning through it. He looked through recent news, slowly figuring out which news sites were biased in which ways. He found the really complicated pinboards that traced each deity back to the original from generation to generation. He searched for Persephone: the last one had been a woman, gorgeous and veiled and kind. She had died from uncertain circumstances. As Ryan looked further, almost all of the Persephone incarnations had died from “uncertain circumstances”. Ryan frowned and scrolled back up to the big three to find Hades. He had just as many incarnations, ending with a photo of Shane as the current incarnation. As with Persephone, Hades’s many incarnations tended to reach their demise from “uncertain circumstances”. 

Ryan shot a text to Shane, seeing that in the few hours that had passed for him, almost a day had passed in the underworld. Ryan wondered if there was a way to measure the fluctuations in time between the two places. He wondered if it really mattered since the only people he could report it to already knew about the time difference. Then his mind took a slippery slope into bureaucracy, wondering if there were any weird non-disclosure forms that he was going to have to sign and what that might mean for his career with Unsolved.

Shane’s response shook him out of his head. He said that he wasn’t sure what “uncertain circumstances” meant, and that Ryan should ask Zeus when he met him for dinner the next day. Ryan smiled, setting an alarm on both of his phones to try to give him enough time to get ready regardless of the time flux.

Ryan’s weekend was otherwise normal. He edited the footage that he and Brent had taken, and, although they hadn’t caught any of the concrete data and their chemistry was off, the premise and the execution was _so good_. Ryan knew it could be so good. He resolved himself to trying again, especially now that he knew for a fact that spirits were real and that the underworld was real. Regardless of whether “mortals” could or could not see spirits as Shane had said, Ryan was determined to prove what he knew.

On Sunday, time ended up aligning nicely between both places, giving Ryan plenty of time to prepare and make himself look nice. Shane showed up around an hour early, claiming that the time difference was to blame; however, he had been texting Ryan to ask if he was ready for hours, and Ryan could feel the nerves and excitement rolling off of him. He was in a sharp suit with some trendy clear frame glasses perched on his nose. Ryan would have found him handsome even without Persephone lighting up firework in his brain. As it was, he was struggling to convince himself that he needed to put more clothes on as opposed to Shane having less. 

Shane made himself at home on Ryan’s bed while Ryan pulled out his favorite of his two suits, showing them to Shane to get his thoughts. Shane looked like he was torn between the two. “You’re going to look so good in either of them, I’m having a hard time picking,” Shane whispered more for himself than Ryan. 

Ryan blushed, picking his favorite of the two and quickly putting it on. When he got back out, Shane was pacing and holding a box in his hand. He stopped, whistling low when Ryan walked out. “Lookin’ fine, Bergara. Who knew you could dress up so nicely.” 

Ryan allowed himself a moment to preen. “Thanks; you’re not too tough on the eyes either,” he walked over and popped the first button on Shane’s shirt so that it was a little more open and relaxed to match his. He couldn’t help a smirk from Shane shivering under his touch. 

“I have something for you,” Shane said softly, stepping out of Ryan’s grasp enough to put some space to breathe between the two of them. 

“You miss me that much in one day?” Ryan teased, enjoying the bluish blush that peppered Shane’s cheeks, one of the only tells that Shane might not be fully human. 

“Two days, thank you very kindly,” Shane wheedled, “And I did say that I was going to properly court you. Unless I am mistaken, fancy gifts for your suitor are a part of the package deal.”

It was Ryan’s turn to blush, remembering that this was actually their first official date, not just a dinner of interest. Shane seemed pleased that he had turned the tables, but didn’t tease Ryan any further as he handed him the small box. It was warm from where Shane had been cradling it nervously in his hands. 

Ryan opened the box without preamble, revealing two shining silver cufflinks and a matching tie clip shaped like flowers on a vine with gemstones that caught the light in a way that made them look like little stars. “Shane, these are gorgeous,” Ryan whispered on an exhale. It had to be the most expensive gift he had ever received. 

“The gemstone is mined from the underworld. I haven’t gotten a chance to study it much, but from what I can tell, it is a chameleon gem. It changes its crystal structure to best stand out against whatever color you hold it up against,” Shane explained, holding the clip up between Ryan’s and his own suit to demonstrate how the cut and color shifted between them. 

“Shane,” Ryan said, not sure what was making him feel so breathless. Maybe it was the gift, maybe it was something more. Shane smiled softly, gesturing to ask if he could help Ryan put them on. Ryan nodded, leaning against Shane discreetly for support. Before Shane could get the first one pinned, Ryan had collapsed against him, stuck in a hallucination. 


	5. Chapter 5

_Gemstones gleamed obsidian in contrast to the sparkling red dress that barely covered Ryan’s pectorals. He shifted from foot to foot, shifting his weight until he was sturdy in the stilettos that he could see peeking out from underneath the thigh high slit that he would need to be cautious of when he was sitting down. He didn’t necessarily want to reveal the knife strapped to his thigh too soon._

_There was a knock on the door. Soon after, Ryan felt his eyes dragging down his wife’s outfit. Her short floppy hair was curled so it stacked on top of her head like a mohawk, giving the black and red suit that she had on a more playful than sharp feel. He had to bend down low to kiss her on the cheek. “You look ravishing, love,” he whispered before gently nipping at the glittering stud in her earlobe._

_She pushed him back with a laugh and a blush. “Now, now, Persy. There will be no seducing me just to get out of dinner with my family. Although I can appreciate the view, we are borderline dreadfully late.”_

_“Hadie,” Ryan heard himself whining, “I have a bad feeling. Can’t we just stay home?”_

_The dream shifted in such a way that Ryan was thrust out of the body that he had been inhabiting. Time sped forward and the couple that Ryan had seen never re-entered the bedroom. Instead, surrounded by light, a figure in a golden toga, hair piled tall on her head, glistening bone accessories, strolled in the door and immediately locked eyes with Ryan._

_“Hello Ryan. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” she glided over to the bed, gesturing for Ryan to join her. Ryan shook off his shock of being seen in his own dream and wandered over to the bed that was so familiar to him. Once he was seated, she took his hands in both of hers. “You don’t have to speak. I share a space in your mind, so I hear your thoughts as you have them. Normally we are not so… direct with our patrons, but something is very wrong, and has been for a long time.”_

_“I have memories that are missing. They were horrendous, I know, but bad memories are just as, if not even more, important than good ones. They keep us from making the same mistake time and time again. With them missing, I worry for the sake of you and Shane. Something is trying to keep us weak, keep us vulnerable, keep us docile. I imagine if you start asking around, most of the major deities are missing major memories. However, by asking around you would probably accelerate your demise,” she reasoned aloud. Ryan had forgotten that although she was the goddess of spring, she was also successfully the queen of the underworld, known for being a better strategist and judge than even Hades himself._

__

__

_Her laugh rang out in the room. “You flatterer, you. Most of those rumors were facilitated by my twitterpated husband. You’ve seen a little how he is. It’s what you kids are calling ‘extra’ and ‘doing the most’. However, it is important to remember that every deity is exponentially multifaceted, and even more so because we start to take on the traits of our hosts. Trust your instincts and choose your friends wisely.”_

_Ryan had only met two other deities. He wondered if he could truly trust them. He hadn’t felt in any more danger than normal with Shane or Charon. Before he could begin to panic about it, Persephone was talking again. “As a general rule, the underworld takes care of it’s own. They became my family, and are destined to become yours. It’s those from the other domains that you need to be wary of…”_

_Her voice began to trail off as her light began to fade. “I can’t show you everything at once because the missing memories would scatter between your own thoughts and narritive instead of organically as a lump sum, so you will awaken over time. Trust Shane to take care of you, but prepare to be sleepy a bit more than normal. I will see you again soon, hopefully with some more pleasant memories…”_

For the first time in Ryan’s working memory, he woke up slowly: no gasping breaths or clenching sheets or crying out or tears. He was in his room still, in his bed. He was so warm and content and… there was someone wrapped around him snoring. 

Ryan wiggled until he could turn around without dislodging whoever was behind him and felt himself let out a sigh of relief when he saw that the arms belonged to Shane. He snuggled in close, letting his head thump against Shane’s collarbone. Shane jerked awake with a soft, sleepy gasp. “Ry, you awake?”

“Hey big guy. Yeah, I’m awake. Thank you for staying,” Ryan felt Shane kiss the crown of his head, “How long were we out?” 

Shane shifted and stretched, not so much that it dislodged Ryan, but enough to make his robe gap to expose his midriff and chest as he reached across the bed to grab their phones. Ryan giggled a bit at the ridiculousness of having five different phones scattered across the nightstand. “It has been…” Shane squinted to read off his phone, moving it forward and backwards until he found a comfortable distance away from his face to read, “two days in this realm,” he picked up his Pomme, “half a day in the underworld,” finally he grabbed a phone that looked a little bit like an old school disposable waterproof camera, “and a week in the waterlands.”

Before Ryan could ask questions about the waterlands, Shane was continuing, apparently now more awake. “Weird that I fell asleep. I haven’t done that in years! Although I’m assuming it stemmed from being gone from my domain for too long plus panicking about you. I called in an underworld forger to get you a doctor’s note made up for work. Are you feeling alright? You really took a spell there, and I couldn’t figure out why. I slipped you some ambrosia while you were out and it healed your papercut, but didn’t wake you up…”

“Ah, see, I knew that if I took a tumble, it would reveal your true nature as a rambler,” Ryan’s grin bloomed into a laugh as Shane scoffed, sitting up fully and dumping Ryan’s head back onto the bed in the process. “I think I’m fine. My dreams have just been getting more aggressive, and I think that the cufflinks sparked a memory.”

Shane’s eyebrows pinched together, and had they been in a cartoon, Ryan could have sworn there would be steam pouring out of his ears from how hard his brain must have been working. “These dreams relate to Persephone, right? It’s really odd: most of the time memories just appear all at once. I’ve never heard of a slow awakening before. Does anything feel wrong?”

“Yeah, but before you panic I already know what the problem is. There’s just nothing we can do about it just yet,” Ryan could tell Shane was dissatisfied with that answer but pressed on before he could cut him off, realization dawning on him. “Fuck, Shane, we missed our date!”

Shane ran his fingers through Ryan’s hair. “Nah, we just missed dinner with the fam. They said they hoped you were feeling well enough soon and postponed to later this week. Our date can happen at any time and any place.”

“Like right now?” Ryan grinned, pushing his body up so that his head could land back on Shane’s lap. 

Shane smiled good naturedly, even as he shook his head. “Unless you think coming back to the underworld to catalogue and put away the souls of the dead, then I’m afraid not…”

“Are you kidding? That’s like my dream date! My whole job is to try to find proof of the supernatural, and you’re offering it up to me on a golden platter!” Ryan sat up too quickly and felt the room spin a little where he was standing. Before he could fall backwards, one of Shane’s hands rested in the middle of his back, the warm weight supporting him.

Shane leaned around and gently kissed his forehead. “You know that you’re never going to be able to show anyone who is only mortal what we do in the underworld, right?”

Ryan could tell that his face had fallen, but tried to put on a chipper voice. “Yeah, but I like to dream that I could. I’ve gotten so much shit for believing what I do, and it would be nice to just have proof, you know? Rub their noses in it a little bit…”

Shane patted his shoulder where his hand was resting. “Of course. You know, the Iris Network functions a lot like your Buzzfeed here. I bet we could pitch something similar on their channel. Instead of proving that places are haunted, because so many places claim to be touched by the super or preternatural, you could show them places that are shams.”

Ryan dearly appreciated Shane’s trying to cheer him up and was surprised at how well it worked. Before long, they had gotten dressed and out of Ryan’s apartment and approached what looked like the nicest mustang Ryan had ever seen. Shane ran his hand through his hair sheepishly, rucking up the golden locks even more than sleeping had. “Hades travels the underworld pulled by a horse drawn chariot, so when I come back to the surface, my horses change to a mustang, because apparently everyone in the universe loves a good pun.” 

Ryan was mostly quiet on the way from his apartment to the palace. Interdimensional travel through the tunnel of light was still overwhelming, but it was made a little better through holding Shane’s hand over the center console and having a roof over his head as opposed to Charon’s boat. 

“So tell me what your day is like as King of the Underworld,” Ryan found his bearings as they parked the car outside of the front steps. “It has to be fascinating!” 

“I guess. I think it’s important to start at the beginning: death. When someone dies, their spirit is naturally drawn to one of the rivers surrounding the epicenter here. Charon will bring them across, and they will get ushered into the throne room one at a time from the waiting room. I weigh their soul on the scale based on whatever belief system they tried to follow. If they did their best and the scales tip in their favor, they meet me in the library where I pull out a new book or object. They tell me their story, and as they talk, their essence imbeds into the book or the object until that becomes a home for their story: the essence of what made them, them. If the scale tips against them, they are cast into one of the rivers until they get spit back out as new life in the world to try again. So what I do on a daily basis is get through as many souls as I can so that people aren’t stuck in limbo.” 

By the time Shane finished his explanation, they had made their way to the throne room. Ryan took in the large chairs at the front of the room, trying to ignoring the pull that one of them was seeming to have on him. Sitting atop the elaborate cushions on each chair was a crown. Shane walked to his, lifting it up and placing it on his head. As Ryan searched his memories for what made the crown so familiar, he could feel Persephone’s memories overtaking his. _“Both his crown and your tiara are made of bone and gemstones from the underworld. They help ground your powers and focus your energy.”_

Ryan’s hands shook as he placed the tiara on his head. As soon as it was in place, he could feel his vision start to swim as his knees buckled. “Not again,” he moaned at the same time Shane sprung into action to catch him. Ryan was out before he could hear what Shane was asking. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends! Thanks for reading this far. I would love to hear your thoughts: where you think the plot is going, what you've liked so far, or anything you'd like to see! Leave a comment below, or find me on Tumblr at smilingsarah10
> 
> Thanks again!
> 
> Blessings and peace,
> 
> XOXO Sarah


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter is a little late (my poor throat is killing me from a cold, so I've been a little too tired to write.)
> 
> This chapter might be kind of squicky for some people. Nothing happens, but tension is high. Just a heads up.

_Ryan sat at the end of the bed watching the real world fall out of him passing out in front of Shane for the second time with Persephone through the hand mirror she pulled out when he had arrived unexpectedly._

_“Well, he seems to be handling it well…” Persephone joked in a deadpan._

_Ryan wheezed out a laugh. “To be fair, he has had to see me pass out twice now. He’s probably doing better than I would be given the circumstances.”_

_Persephone nodded to concede her point. They watched as Shane talked to another deity who had rushed into the room when Ran crumpled. Persephone had said that he could have been Thanatos, the God of Death, but she wasn’t sure. The two in the mirror lifted Ryan and carried him to the bedroom he was familiar with. Shane settled in, leaning against the headboard and settling Ryan against his chest in the V of his legs._

_“Why do you think I’m here if you didn’t call me here?” Ryan finally asked. He had startled Persephone when he materialized in whatever plane they were currently in, and they had pulled out the observation mirror when they realized that something was keeping them from sending Ryan back._

_“My only guess is that there is something here that we needed to see. Your reaction to the crown of bone was unexpected. Between the missing memories, the bone crown sending you here, and us being unable to send you back, I have a bad feeling about what is going on,” She sighed, pushing her hands through her hair. “I’ve felt off since we awakened, honestly. Everything feels duller, like no one is as connected as they used to be.”_

_“What do you mean?” Ryan asked gently, “You mentioned before that you weren’t normally so ‘direct’ with your patrons…” He could tell she needed rest or strength or whatever goddesses did to fortify themselves, and he didn’t want to push her too hard._

_“Usually, we just let you live your life until it is time for you to let us fulfill our duties. In my past patrons, I usually only take the reins a few days out of each month so that they can live whatever life they are called to live without my interference. But I was an exception. Most deities cohabitated with their patrons, like we are doing only without as many bumps. Here, look,” she put both hands on Ryan’s temples. He felt a spark behind his eyes between blinks. “When you look at me you should see a maroon like aura all around me.”_

_Sure enough, when Ryan looked up, there was a cloud of maroon with flecks of pink and blue and grey dancing around her, making her outline hazy. “Now look at yourself.”_

_When Ryan looked at himself laying in Shane’s lap, he was shocked to notice that not only was the aura around him as well, but all of his veins and eyes were lit up gold. On top of his head floated a miniature Persephone. “You can only see what you’re seeing with the gift of my sight. These gifts strengthen and weaken based on how close you are to your patron deity. That is why handing down memories and experiences is so essential to us. For now on, you should be able to blink back and forth between the two without problem. Now, what I was finding amazingly disturbing is Shane and Thanatos both look… relatively normal.”_

_When Ryan looked towards Shane, he found that Persephone was right. He and the other man standing in the room did look normal. They had a slight gold glow, but their aura looked more like a dull outline than the cloud that was around Persephone and Ryan. Before Ryan could comment, three more figures were bursting into the bedroom. One was a petite and stocky, hyper feminine dark skinned woman who Ryan could tell was like Shane and Thanatos; one was another woman: tall, pale, and wispy, looking more ghost than person; and the final one was a large, muscled man who was bursting with a dark cloudlike aura, gold in his veins and eyes making him look manic. The figure floating above his head could be no other than Zeus. In his hand was a vial of sparkling red liquid._

_Ryan watched as the group spoke in rapid fire. Shane seemed hesitant to let Zeus get any closer to Ryan, whatever he said causing Shane’s connection to Hades to flare brilliantly for a second before fading back down to where it rested before. Finally, Shane tipped Ryan’s chin up so that Zeus could pour in the viscous red liquid. As soon as it passed Ryan’s lips, Persephone gasped, clutching at her throat as if she was choking. Ryan went to move towards her to help, panic kicking him into high gear, but every step he took towards her stretched the room out to the point that Ryan felt like he was trying to run down an endless hallway._

Ryan shot awake, gasping and clutching at his chest. Everytime he blinked his eyes, Persephone’s sight dimmed until he was looking at the concerned faces of the three other people in the room. Well, four, but he couldn’t so much see Shane’s concerned expression as he could feel the tension in his arms where they were wrapped under Shane’s biceps, holding him firmly in place.

Ryan let out a shaky, uncomfortable laugh. “What the fuck…”

No words had actually left his mouth, and, before he could try to repeat himself, he could feel the tension drain out of the room as they all realized he was cognizant. Everyone jumped into introductions. Axel, or Thanatos, complimented Ryan on his muscles, then complained about how heavy they made him. The woman like Shane and Axel shook his hand next. She was Poseidon’s vessel, and she preferred to go by that name. The last introduction was the one Ryan dreaded the most.

“You gave us quite the scare there, Ryan,” the one who Ryan knew had to be Zeus held out his hand for a handshake. Ryan took it, tentatively, and was proved right that the guy was a douchebag by the way he tightly squeezed and then over shook Ryan’s hand. “My name is Justin. You can call me Zeus if that’s easier.”

Before Ryan could tell him that he wasn’t particularly interested in calling him anything, he stepped aside so that the ghost of a woman from before could step forward. “This is my wife Juno. Her deity was Hera.”

“Was?” Ryan hated how scratchy and out of breath his voice sounded around one word. He felt Shane squeeze him to his chest a little tighter. 

Zeus schooled a smile before anyone but Ryan could catch it, pulling Juno into his side. She didn’t react at all. “Oh, it was just dreadful. Sometimes, when the deities get powerhungry, they start overpowering and manipulating the people that they chose as vessels. Over time, this increase in power eats away at the vessel’s mind, until there is nothing left of them but the deity inhabiting their body. I couldn’t bear to watch that happen to my dear Juno. Her nightmares were just dreadful, she was constantly dizzy or faint, and she would often go down for days at a time. Which is why I rushed right over when my dear brother seemed so distressed. I would have never taken Persephone for the type, but it looks like the ambrosia got to you just in time.”

Ryan felt panic and bile rising up in his throat. Before he could rise to her defense, Zeus continued, going so far as to lay a patronizing hand on Ryan’s knee. “I know that she probably told you something different, Ryan. That’s what they’ve always done. They make promises they don’t intend to keep, and then keep them in front of you like a carrot on a stick until you’re too focused to notice that you’re too far gone to ever get back.”

Ryan’s panic turned to doubt. Seeing the change on his face, Zeus seemed pleased. He slid his hand up Ryan’s thigh, seeming to breath in the shudder it caused from Ryan before he stepped away from the bed. Poseidon had her arm wrapped around Juno protectively, glaring at the back of Zeus’s head. Ryan tucked away that information for when he had more time to process. “Juno said that some time at the beach would do wonders for her complexion,” Poseidon announced. “I’m headed that way. I can take her.”

“Sure. Both of you have medicine reserves still, right?” he asked. 

Poseidon looked Ryan dead in the eye, and in that moment he knew that she was lying. “Of course. I’ll send Juno home in about a week to pick up more samples. Ryan, I put my number in your Pomme. Reach out to me soon so we can set up a time to meet.”

“I don’t think that would be wise,” Zeus narrowed his eyes at them before taking on a more concerned, parental face. “Ryan is going to be exhausted, catching up on his rounds of medication, and you can’t leave your domain for too long.”

Poseidon openly glared daggers at him and for a moment, Ryan thought he could see teal forming along her outline and a watery figure above her crown. Both were gone in a blink, and her emotions were schooled. “Nevertheless, it is good to have allies. Ryan, I’m an iris message away.” With a careful hand on Juno’s waist guiding her out the door, she left. 

After a beat of silence, Zeus pulled a briefcase from behind him. “Shane, you know how hard these are to take the first couple of times. Can I trust you to ensure that he gets through these by the end of the week?”

Ryan felt like swallowing his throat at the amount of vials he saw sparkling gold in the briefcase. He knew their true color. He knew they were poison. He felt Shane nod behind him. “Ryan is a big boy. I’m sure he will take his medicine accordingly.”

Zeus seemed displeased that Shane hadn’t outright agreed. “You know what will happen if he doesn’t take it…” 

“That amount seems like overkill. I take mine on a spot by spot basis, I don’t see why Ryan can’t make that decision on his own.”

Zeus stepped forward, looking threatening, until he seemed to remember that Axel and Ryan were both awake and watching. “When you started, Juno and I had to hold you down and make you take it or else Hades would force you to bleed from every orifice. You were in so much pain. If you want that to happen to your beloved, by all means. Otherwise, I will be back to refill this briefcase in a week.”

With that, he left, leaving a sear mark from where he disappeared in a bolt of lightning. 

Ryan looked at Shane. “Did you really puke blood until he made you take it?”

Shane was staring at the spot on the floor in confusion. “If I did, you’d think it would be something I would remember…” he let the silence fall, contemplative. 

Axel cleared his throat. For what it’s worth, I don’t remember that either. I also don’t remember anything other than Zeus explaining to me what my role was and sending me down here to find you, Shane.”

Shane squinted his eyes. “Now, I don’t like this one bit. Ryan, you asked me about missing memories and unsure ends. I think that tomorrow we should go down to the Vault of the Gods.”

“What is that?” Ryan asked with a yawn, trying to not let exhaustion show on his features. He felt as if a part of him was missing, or that all his energy had been drained out. _Or an entire part of me…”_ Ryan couldn’t help but think with a sigh. 

Shane snuggled in closer behind him. “It’s where the souls of the vessels go when they die. I think it’s time to see if we can find some answers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends! 
> 
> You still out there reading this? Amazing! Thank you! You're the coolest. I would love to know what you're thinking and how you're feeling about the plot so far! I changed where I was going with this fic (I think it still works/my poor outline.) so please let me know if you can tell what changed and if it's good.
> 
> XOXO
> 
> Sarah


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> Just wanted to pop in to say that this chapter has high emotions (most bad, some soft) and some violent imagery. And we have some plot! So, yeah. If you get uncomfy and want a summary without all the details, send me a message or ask at smilingsarah10.tumblr.com and I would be happy to do that.
> 
> Also keep in mind that I am playing fast and loose with greek mythology, grammar, and gender in all these chapters. Some suspended disbelief is recommended! :)
> 
> Enjoy,
> 
> XOXO Sarah

The group as a whole decided that they were just going to stop taking whatever was in the ambrosia that Zeus had dropped off. Ryan explained to them his visions, what it had been like with Persephone before he had taken it, and what she looked like as he took it. Shane’s face paled. 

“Oh, fuck. Ry, you have to believe that if I would have known, I wouldn’t have even let him near you with that…” Ryan could see the guilt etched on his features. “He’s been saying all this shit about Juno since I mentioned the first time I found you in the river, and I just trusted him… I trusted… I just wanted you to be safe…”

Ryan was familiar enough with anxiety and self-blame to see when someone was going into a spiral. He gently lifted Shane’s hand from where it was curled into Ryan’s abs, kissing his knuckles one by one until he had Shane’s attention. “You couldn’t have known. Possibly literally. Persephone thinks that the missing memories are linked to whatever is going on, and I am almost sure that they have to do with whatever is in those vials. It sounds like Ze…”

Axel shushed Ryan from across the room, hand flying up in panic, “Don’t use his name here. It’s like a calling card to the actual deity. Call him something else.”

“Right. Well it sounds like the asshole has been gaslighting everyone around him for who knows how long,” Ryan could feel Shane nodding against his back as he finished up talking. 

“Storming the overworld without proof would be a bloodbath. If he is as powerful as he seemed from Persephone’s sight, we are going to need to develop some theories, gather our allies, and figure out if some of us accidentally killed our gods. I think I know someone who is good at putting together evidence about the past,” he gave Ryan a soft smile that made his heart clench. He had plowed through the pain, trying to mask it with rationality, but Ryan knew in his bones that he was still blaming himself for all the problems that had been happening. Ryan kissed the back of his hand absentmindedly as he continued, “I can work on networking as discreetly as I can. Axel, you would know if a deity died right? I know we don’t get their spirits, but don’t you help guide them to their next vessel?”

Axel frowned, his eyebrows knitting together as he searched what memories he had. “I think that’s part of my job, but I can’t remember ever doing it. I’ll check my shelf when we get to the library. Before we go though, let’s get rid of all this shit.”

The shit he was referring to was apparently all of their bottles of ambrosia that were scattered around the castle. Ryan watched as Axel did a dramatic turn, a cape and hood appearing across his shoulders before he pulled out six vials of liquid. He sat them beside the vials that were supposed to be for Ryan. Shane huffed a, “drama queen,” under his breath before snapping his fingers and having three more vials appear on the bed floor near the others.

“Do we just… pour them out?” Ryan asked quietly.

“I think that we should keep one of each person’s just to test. I have a lab downstairs that I’ve been using to dabble with those gemstones and other underworld chemistry. I can see what I can find out. Maybe we can see what’s in each of those that makes them specific to each one of us,” Shane whispered even though no one but Axel and Ryan were still in the room. Ryan could hear a new emotion poking through in his voice: fear. “I’ll do that while you guys check out the library.” 

“You sure? I could keep you company. You don’t have to do this alone,” Ryan turned so that he could see Shane’s face; so that he could see if the sincerity to his statement had hit Shane as hard as it had hit Ryan. He didn’t have to do anything alone anymore. Ryan was all in, and would have been kidding himself if he had thought anything other than that since the first time he stumbled into the place. 

Shane kissed his cheek. “You’re a soft touch, Ry-guy. But we all have roles to play here. I’ll be fine alone for a couple of hours. Besides,” he smiled, genuine and warm, teasing and full of promises he had no right to be thinking of so early in any relationship, “I’ve seen your show. There’s no way in here that I’d get between you and some research.” 

Axel tucked all but three vials into the briefcase, handing them to Shane before snapping his fingers and watching the case go up in a controlled blue flame. They watched in silence as it popped and sparked, the magic in the room acting as a protective barrier between them and the incineration. When the case was long gone, the silence settled into something more comfortable and contemplative.

After resting for long enough for Ryan to get his strength back (and Shane’s legs to fall asleep from being stubborn and refusing to shift their positions), the three made their way further into the throne room than Ryan had ever been. 

“Not surprising since you seem to keep fainting before you see the good stuff,” Shane joked, bumping his hip into Ryan’s midsection. 

Ryan stumbled a bit, still having a hard time finding his balance, but righted himself with a beaming smile, “Actually, I think I’ve seen the best this place has got already.”

Shane blushed, painting his cheeks prettily before stage whispering, “You ain’t seen nothin yet, little guy. Just wait until after our first date…” 

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as Axel groaned from behind them, “Gross. This is why I stick to reaping instead of hanging around the castle. You all can’t keep the lovey shit down for even 7 seconds…” his soft smile cut the ice behind his words. He grabbed Ryan by the elbow, pulling him away from Shane at the top of a hidden spiral staircase. “Besides, this is where we part ways. The library is through those doors, and lover boy’s lab is down those stairs.”

Shane threw a hand up to his forehead, bending low to kiss up Ryan’s hand and arm. “Ah, but parting is such sweet sorrow…”

Axel flicked him on the forehead, “Enough, you. Gods, and you call me the dramatic one.”

They all took a minute to laugh together, and for the first time since that morning, Ryan felt a familiar feeling warming inside him. He kept it to himself, not wanting to give anyone false hope, much less give himself any. _“They became my family, and are destined to become yours.”_ Ryan heard Persephone’s words from the other day ringing through his mind as if she was still right there. Ryan hoped she was, hoped that she could see her premonitions coming true.

Ryan had to stop and catch his breath when he walked into the small library with Axel. It was the smallest library by far, but also the most grand in scope and design and raw magic. It was laid out by section, thematically indicating where the deities of the underworld, the waterworld, and the overworld could be found. Within each section were stained glass panels that caught and scattered the light about, casting shadows and brightness where there would normally be the pale glow of the indoor underworld. And, oh, the books themselves. Each deity had a shelf or whole bookcase housing volumes of books, as if they were encyclopedias for each individual, and the spines of each large, leather bound tome was pressed with embossed gold that reminded Ryan of what he could see with Persephone’s sight. 

Ryan was only shook from his reverie by Obi, who darted in through his legs in flame form to settle on a wall sconce just inside the door. Axel shook his head. “That damn hell cat will catch your robe on fire if you’re not careful…” 

Then before Ryan could ask where to begin, Axel wandered into the back of the room towards the underworld section. Ryan followed a bit aimlessly until they reached the edge of the shelves and Ryan felt himself being pulled to a different shelf than the one Axel was headed to. At this point, Ryan knew to trust his intuition, and found Persephone and Hades’s bookcases with ease. He grabbed the most recent volumes of each before looking around and finding a couch to settle into.

Expecting to have to do a lot of reading, Ryan felt himself wishing for his glasses. He sighed, pulling the first book onto his lap. He went to open it, but turning to pick it up had dislodged his glasses off of his head. “Wait, what?” Ryan said aloud, grateful and confused at the same time. 

Axel popped around a far shelf to where he could see Ryan. “You say something?”

“Yeah, got a weird question. Everytime I wish for something to happen, it happens…” Ryan started.

“That isn’t a question, and also doesn’t sound like anything weird OR a problem. Gotta work on your phrasing dude.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Let me finish then, _dude_ ,” Ryan laughed as Axel stuck his tongue out. “Do you know why it happens?”

“The castle responds to you and Shane’s needs. Your magic here is effortless because it’s your home. The more at home you feel here, the more it responds to your thoughts and feelings. You should play around with it when it’s not, like, the apocalypse, you know?”

Axel wandered off again, leaving Ryan to his books. Ryan tucked away what he said. He was kind of excited for this to be over so he could really explore the place. His _home_. _Their_ home. His and Shane’s home. Ryan blushed, considering all that the word home might entail. 

Always showing up in time to snap him out of his thoughts, Obi curled up on the couch behind Ryan’s head, purring loud enough to bring his attention back to the task at hand. Ryan scratched behind his ears a little before flipping the first book open to the first page… and immediately screaming and throwing it onto the ground. 

The apparition that was standing on the first page was no taller than the spine of the book, and she was looking at Ryan as if he was an idiot. “You must be new here,” her tinny voice rang out, getting clearer as Ryan calmed himself back down.

“Who are you?” Ryan asked, scooping the book back off the floor. The figure wobbled on the page where she stood, shooting Ryan a scolding look for jostling her around. “I am new here. I’m sorry if I’m doing this all wrong…”

The lady softened, straightening her veil, and Ryan finally recognized her from online. “Oh, you’re Samira! The last host for Persephone. I recognize you now! My name is Ryan. I just have a few questions that I was hoping you could answer.”

“I am the memory of Samira. She is beyond. But I will do my best to assist you. Would you kindly open my husband’s book as well? It’s been ages since I have seen him.”

Ryan flipped open the Hades book, expecting another apparition, and frowning in disappointment when one did not appear immediately. Samira also frowned, marching to the edge of her book and peering over into his. “Flip through the first chapter. Maybe he’s just stuck in the narrative.” 

Ryan did, under the watchful eye of Samira, until a whispy almost gone figure appeared out of the last page. “Samira?” The apparition coughed once, drifting to the edge of the book and holding her hand. 

“What happened to you?” She cried, her hands trying to push past the bounds of her book to reach him, but being unable to do so.

The spirit settled, still not a person, but a more solid cloud. “Something bad. Something, really, really bad. I can’t really remember. All I remember is Justin calling me about Juno, us rushing to Olympus, then… pain. So much pain. And something eating away at my mind,” the cloud sputtered in and out of existence as the story destabilized, “I don’t want to remember this… it hurts, IT HURTS! Please, Samira, PLEASE…”

The tension in the air would have taken a machete to scrape through, and Ryan watched, stunned, as the apparition's emotions caused himself to poof out of existence, followed by Samira’s, and both books slamming themselves shut. 

Ryan did not want to disturb either of them again, and gently reshelved their books, grabbing the next two as he went. Over and over again, the story replayed itself, one or both of the vessels getting lured to Olympus, then pain and tragedy. Ryan felt the numbness that had been on the backburner since that morning dissipate into pain and anger and confusion about how Justin and Juno were able to exist through at least 10 generations of Hades and Persephone’s vessels. Tired of seeing himself die in the eyes of the ones who came before him, Ryan stomped over to the overworld section, ripping his eyes from shelf to shelf until he found what he was looking for: Zeus and Hera. 

He paused before deciding to open the books one at a time instead of together, thinking of Juno’s pale form compared to Justin’s overly robust one. He sat Zeus to the side, and gently opened Hera’s book to the first page. The apparition was sitting in a tiny ghostly rocking chair, embroidering and humming to herself. “Oh, hello,” she smiled up at Ryan. “You’re not a Hera. Who are you, lambkin?”

“My name is Ryan. I am the current vessel of Persephone. What’s your name?” 

“You can call me Liz. And how is my dearest Persephone?” Her smile was kind, and Ryan was so afraid the news would break her heart. She frowned, continuing, “Oh, honey. It’s that bad, is it? I assumed as much since usually deities don’t look in books that aren’t their own for answers. Tell me all about it.” 

So Ryan did. He worked his way through the whole thing from top to bottom, feeling better at just being able to let it all out as Liz’s crochet hooks sounded a soothing pattern. When he got through with all of it, Liz gestured for him to move his hand over the book. She patted one of his fingers lovingly. “Don’t you feel a little better now? I can tell. You’re just a boy in a very scary situation. You’re going to have to be brave.” 

She sat back down. “You know, my Aurthur passed the Zeus mantle on before I did. He was very ill. He had always been older than me, and it was amazing that he had even made it as long as he did. Years of doing science didn’t kill him, but one lousy bout of consumption amplified to the god level sure did. Not enough ambrosia in the world to fix that. Before he passed though, he was working on altering it, the ambrosia I mean. He said something about using the god’s life force to fix the human problems. I knew then that the consumption had touched his brain, and he was doomed. I wasn’t around to greet the next Hera though, and she never found me here for advice like I had done. Say, you might want to talk to him! Now I know you’re nervous with the experience you’ve had today, but I promise Aurthur died of natural causes. The only pain he felt came from his cough.”

She waited as Ryan opened the other book cautiously, not sure if his heart could handle another tragic meeting. But just as she had said, a wire framed spectacled apparition appeared clear and strong in the other story. Aurthur’s smile lit up the room. “Betsey, my love. You’re a vision, as usual. And who is this bawcock you’ve stumbled upon, hmm?”

Liz waved off his compliment with a wink and gave him a summary of the situation. Ryan explained the new ambrosia to him and the man’s smile quickly turned into a frown. “I’ll have you know I burned that research. Just before the consumption took me, I burned it all down. Zeus liked it too much. Was too interested. He… he was a force to be reckoned with and the power it would have given him…”

Ryan prompted him to explain. “I was so afraid of death, you see. So afraid. Even as a demi-god, I was afraid that the actions of Zeus would tip the scales against me. So I created a potion. Ambrosia to calm the nerves and soothe the body and sacred fruit from each domain to create nostalgia in other deities. Zeus has the ability to see time, you see, and because of that, if you’re not careful, he can see your memories. What we found was that he could take the memories from people and change their energy into a life force. At first, I insisted that the memories be ones that were freely given. But we found that the more intense a memory was, the more power it would grant or take. And Zeus… started to get greedy. And mean. He would prompt others into terrible situations and then promise them relief from the pain if he would let them eat their memories. I made him stop. I refused to make the potions anymore and burned the research. And because of that, he let the consumption take me. I tried, Ryan, I promise I tried. But it sounds like he found a vessel that’s interested in immortality. And it sounds like he’s using your deities to get it.”

Ryan sat stunned on the bench. Of course Juno looked like a ghost. She was probably a shell of the woman she once was just from being closest to Justin. She was probably just being kept alive so that Justin or Zeus could take sick pleasure in knowing that he had the power to do that. And all the missing memories, all the unexplained deaths, Justin had been the root. No, Zeus had been the root. Ryan was drawn back in by Authur’s fiery gaze. “You have to kill him. Memories don’t die, Ryan, and he’s gorged on them. If you kill him, you release them back to who they belong to. You just have to make sure you kill both of them: the vessel and the deity.”

“How…?” Ryan tried to reason through his thoughts. Was it even possible? Could you kill a God?

Liz spoke up from her open book, “First, you need to reawaken yourself and any other deities you can find. Make em angry. Make em elated. Any strong emotion or strong attachment should be enough to shake their deity out of slumber.”

Ryan breathed out a sigh of relief that the deities they were holding were not dead. Liz gave him a sympathetic look, “He wouldn’t kill them when he’s using them as pawns and food. Take whatever comfort from that you can. Once you have rallied your forces, talk to Thanatos about how to kill a god for good. He and Hades together should know how to do that.”

Ryan had a plan. It was a shaky plan, a terrifying plan, but a plan nonetheless. He thanked Liz and Aurthur, shutting their books and reshelving them gently. “Axel, did you catch any of that?” Ryan shouted around the corner towards the underworld section. 

When he got no response, he trudged in the direction that he had seen Axel walk. Before he could get there, he heard a loud hiss, the sound of a struggle, and a thunk as the library dood slammed shut. Ryan ran over, trying to push the doors open to no avail. He felt a deep panic well up in his chest. Something was wrong. Something was wrong in the most familiar way. A bittersweet cough rose from within his chest as a familiar presence shot awake in his mind. Vines shot up from the floor around him, ripping the library doors of the henges, as Persephone took over for Ryan in his panic. She was weak, he could tell, but she was also pissed and drawing from the depths just out of spite. _“We will rip his heart out and feed it to Cerberus.”_ she snarled, her words bubbling out of Ryan’s throat. 

Ryan took in Axel, slumped in his cape against one of the thrones, looking as if he had been tossed like a ragdoll after being force fed a golden liquid. “No,” Ryan cried out, feet and body already turning to run down to the lab.

“NO!” he cried again, taking in the upturned tables, broken vials, and other signs of struggle in the lab. There was blood on the ground, pools still tacky against the stone, but that was the only sign of Shane left in the room. 

Ryan clutched his chest, heart feeling like it was being ripped out. Persephone gasped in his brain. “What is he doing to Hades?! WHAT IS HE DOING TO MY HUSBAND?!” 

Ryan slid down onto the floor, pain and anger causing his feeling to swim, memories from all his past lives filling in at rapid speed until he slipped into the rest that the darkness of unconsciousness brought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAND you made it! :) Thanks for reading this far! I am pretty sure that I can fit everything in to the next two chapters and then do a follow up epilogue (that will feature smut because of who I am as a person) so we are closing in on the end! Please let me know what you think and how you're feeling about what's going on. Also, let me know what kind of smut or fluff you might be interested in seeing from this au in the future. :)
> 
> Thanks again,
> 
> Sarah


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends!
> 
> First of all, thank you for your patience with no post on Monday. I am teaching my very first adult education class, and between teaching middle school in the day then that class in the evenings and a 2 hr round trip commute every day, I am running a little low on spoons. 
> 
> Those reasons are also why this chapter is a little shorter, a little softer, and more expository than others. Let me know what you think! :)

_Ryan wipes the sweat from his brow with an elbow, the dog days of summer dragging in the oppressive heat. He wished dearly that he could be home in the darker, cooler caverns of the underworld, but he had a job to do. At least he wasn’t alone. He turned with a smile to see a tall, pale man sitting underneath a large umbrella and tree on a hillside closeby, his nose stuck in a book. Ryan wondered if this was his dream or Persephone’s memories as a coping mechanism._

_The man opened his arms wide, falling onto his back when he noticed Ryan looking. Ryan felt his body shift, smaller but sturdier, feminine hands covered in the dirt she had just been working in. Regardless of the mess, she reached out and brushed her fingers across his features. The man stayed quiet, leaning into her touches as if this was a normal afternoon for the two._

_The scene shifted drastically, Ryan and Persephone laying side by side under the umbrella. “What if something really bad happens? Like, irreversibly bad?” Ryan wondered aloud._

_“We deal with the fall out. We kill Zeus. We honor the memories of the ones who came before us. The plan cannot change for just one of us. Ha-...,” She caught herself, thoughtfully continuing, “Shane is strong. There’s a reason he was picked to be Hades’ vessel. Besides, we would feel it if something happened to them,” Persephone responded, gentling Ryan and offering reassurance._

_“We would feel it?” Ryan locked in on the last statement to stop from panicking about the first. Panicking wouldn’t do him any good._

_Persephone hummed, interlocking her fingers with Ryan’s. “By fully awakening after trauma, it was like a hard reset on our connection. I remembered the full breadth and scope of my powers and can share them with you. I’m assuming Zeus will have noticed the missing memories, but if he’s so gorged on them from years of doing this, he might not realize that they are gone immediately. The more deities we awaken though… but that’s not what you asked.”_

_“When I was only myself, my mother forced me to emerge from the underworld in the spring and summer to ensure that spring ran smoothly,” as she spoke, Ryan watched the spectacle of Persephone saying goodbye to Hades as Demeter drug Persephone away from the gentle opening in the ground that must have led down to the palace. “I could have done this from the underworld; she was just being petty and manipulative because she wanted me to aim for a nice over-world deity, if anyone at all.”_

_Ryan saw the Hades in the illusion’s face fall. The Persephone beside him looked on bittersweetly. “Six months from your beloved would be hell on any relationship, but after the first few years, Hades stumbled upon an old magic that he thought he could do. He’s always been a tinkerer.”_

_Ryan reached up to feel tears on his one face mirroring hers. He could feel how badly she missed him. He realized that they hadn’t actually gotten to see anything but little glimpses of what was left of Hades that were left in Shane. Ryan knew that she was worried about him. She continued. “He spent the time I was away designing a seed that was a combination of spring and blood and love and longing. He poured underworld magic into it, making it sweet but sharp on the tongue, and through all the magic and feelings, he took our essence, what brings life, and put it in the seed. When I returned for winter, we planted it.”_

_The scene shifted again, to a bare courtyard that Ryan knew would become the garden in the palace that he was so drawn to, the only thing in the now-lush garden a small plot of dirt in the middle. Ryan watched as time sped by, the months that Persephone was gone, Hades tending what looked like a sapling. By the time Persephone returned to the garden, the plant had grown from a bush to a small tree._

_“This was the first and only fruit to grow in the underworld. I was elated. We took a fruit right off the tree, opened it, and feasted.” The scene reflected this, the fruit looking like a pomegranate that was so crimson it was almost black. Ryan blushed as the pair in front of him traced the trail of the blood red juice around their fingers with their tongues before moving on to trace the same trails on the other person across lips and necks and chests._

_“We made love right there in front of the tree, and I could have never known the magic we were dabbling with.” Ryan watched, rapt as tree grew and bloomed with each moan or gasp from the coupling in front of him. As the couple began to find their climaxes, they seemed to not notice the cloud of energy was forming around them. “Sex magic is a weird and powerful thing, Ryan. Even I can’t tell you what happened in that cloud. But when we emerged, we were capable of sharing one mind, could use each others magic, and knew that there would only ever be the other for us. That spring, when I had to leave, I left knowing that Hades could pop in to check on my moods or find me no matter where I was.”_

_“It also meant that I knew with a certainty everytime he was injured,” she said with a frown, “When he died the first time, I felt as if a part of myself died along with him. We found out about the god incarnations when I felt him come back. Now, it just feels as if he is in a deep sleep. He can’t hear me or feel me, I don’t think. And I can’t wake him up.”_

_“What happened to the tree?” Ryan asked, knowing that it wasn’t in his memory of the garden from the window._

_“It still grows in a room under the statue’s base in the center of the courtyard. Once we found a way to strip the magic from a round of seeds, we planted more fruits around the garden and hid away the magic. That is the story of the pomegranate, and how I know without a doubt that Shane and Hades are alright for right now.”_

_Ryan nodded into the silence, brain turning over the new information. “Are you feeling rested enough to get to work? I think I have a plan.”_

Ryan awoke from the floor, jumping to his feet, and taking the stairs two at a time to get out of the wrecked lab. Axel was just sitting up, and jumped when he saw Ryan. “Who the hell are you?”

Ryan blinked, confused until he remembered that it looked like Axel had been forced to drink something before whatever had happened to him. “I’m Ryan, vessel of Persephone. Do you remember your name?”

Axel squinted at Ryan, and Ryan felt magic course through him, revealing golden veins and eyes and the mark of the goddess. Ryan knew he hadn’t made those appear, and was startled out of asking when Axel responded, “You surely are. And a pleasure to see you again, Perse.”

Realization dawned on Ryan. “Thanatos, I’m presuming?” 

Axel smirked, “In the flesh. What the hell is going on around here? Why don’t I remember this vessel? Why is my vessel passed out in his own mind?”

“Do you remember anything at all about the ambrosia situation?” Ryan asked gently, not sure if Axel or Thanatos would be prone to the same bouts of passing out at the advent of new memories. Thanatos closed his eyes. Ryan found it creepy that he could see the rapid eye movement behind them as Thanatos apparently catalogued Axel’s memories. 

“Oh you dumb boy,” Thanatos whispered, and Ryan wondered if he had even meant to say it out loud at all. He opened his eyes back up, looking to Ryan and speaking. “Axel conferenced with enough of my past vessels to know that you would need me awake for extra power, so when he was forced to drink the potion, he somehow used his memories and lifesource instead of mine. Then the trauma from passing out must have awakened me.”

“Well, it’s good to have at least one of you awake. We are going to storm Olympus, rescue Shane, er, Hades, and kill Zeus,” Ryan rushed into the explanation. “A past incarnation of Hera said you might know how to do that last part.” 

Thanatos considered for a moment. “It should be possible. You would need to trap his spirit in something that you could throw down into the pits of Tartarus to be eaten by the Titans. This should prevent him from coming back. However, you’re going to need Hades at full strength for that. You’ll need a way to awaken him.”

Ryan waved his hand at that. “I have a plan for that. I just need to make a pit stop to the garden first. Will you vow to be on my side when we storm Olympus?”

Thanatos smiled for the first time since he had awakened. It was as sharp and predatory as you would have expected from the god of death. “Of course, my liege. It’s not every day I get to assassinate a god.”

“I have to propose an alliance to Poseidon first. We need more numbers. Meet me at Charon’s boat in an hour,” Ryan waited for his confirmation nod before walking past to finally get to explore the garden. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thanks for reading! :) You can find me on tumblr @ smilingsarah10. I don't bite!
> 
> Blessings and Peace,
> 
> XOXO Sarah


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